Women accounted for nearly two-thirds of the 102 students who graduated from the Guyana School of Agriculture (GSA) on Tuesday, with Agriculture Minister Zulfikar Mustapha pointing to their growing participation as a sign of the sector’s changing face.
Addressing the institution’s 61st Graduation Ceremony, Mustapha said agricultural education must prepare young people for an expanding range of careers, while opportunities must also be available for graduates to establish their own businesses.
“Of the 102 graduates, 65 are women and 37 are men. This is a significant reflection of the changing face of agriculture in Guyana,” the Minister said.
The Class of 2026 completed studies across six programmes at the Mon Repos and Essequibo campuses. Sixty-six graduates earned either a Credit or Distinction, while ten students who were referred in 2025 successfully completed their programmes this year.
Mustapha urged the graduates to look beyond traditional farming, noting that modern agriculture offers opportunities in science, technology, business management, research, veterinary services, environmental management, logistics and marketing.
He pointed to financing through the Guyana Development Bank as a possible avenue for eligible young entrepreneurs seeking to develop farms, agro-processing businesses and agricultural services.
“But access to education must be matched by access to opportunity. That is why the Government is also working to expand opportunities for young entrepreneurs,” he stated.
Among the outstanding graduates was Analesia D’Aguiar, who completed the Certificate in Forestry programme with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.97—the highest in the graduating class. She received the Chairman’s Prize as the best graduating student in the programmes offered at the Essequibo Campus.
Marlon O’Donoghue received the Chief Executive Officer’s Prize as the best graduating student in the two-year programmes at the Mon Repos Campus. He completed the Diploma in Agriculture with a GPA of 3.71.
The graduating class included students from nine of Guyana’s ten administrative regions, along with ten students from Grenada and two from Saint Lucia. Grenadian nationals Jacob Thomas and Adonis Jones were also recognised among the outstanding performers.
According to an October 13 release from the Ministry of Agriculture, Mustapha stressed that training must keep pace with technological advances, changing consumer demands, competitive markets and the effects of climate change.
“Our educational institutions must therefore continue to equip students with the knowledge, practical skills, and innovative thinking needed to respond to these developments,” he said.
The Minister highlighted partnerships with the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and EMC that have supported training in hydroponics and protected agriculture. He also pointed to digital farm record systems and collaboration with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (NAREI) as efforts to strengthen the connection between classroom instruction, research and production.
Mustapha said agriculture recorded growth of 11.5 per cent in 2025, while budgetary allocations increased from $18.4 billion in 2020 to $113.2 billion in 2026. These investments, he noted, are supporting modern production systems, infrastructure, technology and new opportunities across the sector.
He also welcomed the GSA’s successful re-registration with the National Accreditation Council of Guyana through 2029.
Established in 1963, the institution has produced 4,497 graduates, who have served as farmers, extension officers, animal health professionals, foresters, agro-processors, researchers and agricultural leaders in Guyana and the wider Caribbean.
